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DES MOINES - Matt Elsbecker's Fort Dodge baseball program has quietly established itself as one of Iowa's traditional powers on the diamond.

The fourth-ranked, fifth-seeded Dodgers (28-12 overall) have qualified for the Class 4A state tournament in three of the past five seasons.

Now, FDSH will attempt to add the icing on the cake to another memorable campaign here this week.

Fort Dodge opens its state trek against eighth-rated, No. 4 seed West Des Moines Dowling (26-11) in a 4A quarterfinal here today at 2 p.m. inside Principal Park - home of the AAA Iowa Cubs.

The CIML Iowa Conference champion Dodgers - who fell in the 2005 quarterfinals and advanced to the semifinals in 2007 - are riding high after storming back from an early six-run deficit to knock out perennial heavyweight West Des Moines Valley - which previously earned four consecutive state crowns from 2003-06 - in a substate final last Wednesday at Rogers Sports Complex.

"We were just kind of a feel good story two years ago, so we certainly have more expectations this time around," said Elsbecker, who owns a 267-246 career mark. "After that ('07) tourney, a couple of our kids talked about how we'd be the ones with the target on our back now.

"We've been waiting for this opportunity for two years. This is our time to shine, and (today) is our first chance to do that."

FDSH enters the tournament sporting a four-game win streak. The Dodgers average 6.65 runs a night on the season. They reached double digits on nine different occasions, including a thrilling 14-13 nine-inning victory over CIML cross-conference foe Urbandale in their regular season finale.

Seniors Eddy Diosdado (.397 BA, 13 HR, 15 2B, 35 RBI, 52 runs, 54 hits), Tanner Beck (.395, 12 SB, 31 runs, 51 hits), University of Iowa signee Ricky Sandquist (.354, 27 runs, 28 RBI, 46 hits), Tim Kayser (.344, seven HR, 10 2B, 38 RBI, 43 hits) and Joe Hora (.330, 28 RBI, 29 runs, 38 hits) are the focal points in the Fort Dodge offensive attack. Diosdado, a NIACC recruit, surpassed Andy Josephson on the all-time school home run list earlier this season. Diosdado has launched 42 career long balls.

"Playing (at Principal Park) is definitely a different beast," Elsbecker said. "The outfield is so fast, and the environment is extremely electric.

"The things you can normally do on a regular field, you just can't do there. We need to make adjustments and react accordingly."

Sandquist ( 9-0; 58 1/3 IP, 46 H, 15 BB, 61 K, 2.04 ERA), sophomores Will Kenny (2-3; 36 2/3 IP, 37 H, 8 BB, 32 K, 1.72 ERA), Brad Lombard (4-3; 50 IP, 47 H, 17 BB, 46 K, 3.08 ERA) and senior Jerry Ellendson (3-4; 36 2/3 IP, 25 H, 29 BB, 25 K, 4.58 ERA) supply Elsbecker with a deep and talented rotation on the mound.

"Our pitching has been very sound," said Elsbecker. "We've been able to hang our hat on that consistently, which is so crucial."

"That's one area where we've made a huge jump from last year."

Elsbecker knows the importance of playing a rugged schedule. The Dodgers - who won their first ever CIML Iowa title this season with a 15-5 mark- swept 4A state qualifier Marshalltown, split with ninth-ranked Johnston and lost to No. 1 Sioux City North. The Dragons finished with a perfect 40-0 record a year ago en route to the 4A state title, while the Bobcats earned runner-up honors in 2008. The Stars also advanced to Des Moines last season.

"We've gone through a lot of battles along the way," Elsbecker said. "That experience against quality opponents helped prepare us for this moment."

Eleven seniors will compete in a Dodger uniform for a final time this week. They've compiled a five-year varsity record of 131-75-2.

"(Our success) all starts with our first senior and ends with our 11th," said Elsbecker. "We've talked about having a confidence and swagger, along with playing loose.

"Our seniors have meant everything to our program."

As always, community support has served an integral factor in all of FDSH's success.

"Our fan support has been great," Elsbecker said. "We have a lot of people that truly care about baseball in Fort Dodge.

"We're going to need a loud crowd again this week."

Contact Josh Meyer at (515) 573-2141, or by e-mail at sports@messengernews.net